Damaged Goods
by IggylovestheSwitz
Summary: AU. Street performer Antonio Fernandez Carriedo had the life. He got to travel, meet amazing people, and the utmost of all, get free money just for singing! But that all changes when he meets two Italian brothers working a fruit stand. On the famous Rialto bridge in Venice, Italy, Antonio will helplessly fall for a sour apple. Or, in better words, 'tomato.'


_Damaged Goods _

**Warning! **I used Google Translate, so if anything is wrong do not blame me. Blame Google (and the Computer Revolution: Reference to _Inside Soviet Russia._) Story contains cursing, thoughts from Spain, and Spamono lovin'. If you are uncomfortable or disagree with **any **of this, please leave _now. _

Okay, for the rest of you guys, enjoy~

P.S. I do not own the Hetalia characters or the songs in Italian

P.S.S. I love em' long... and you do too

* * *

_"Il tuo amore è magico_

_È così che mi sento_

_Ma non ho le parole per spiegare_

_Gone è la grazia per le espressioni di passione_

_Ma ci sono mondi e mondi di modi per spiegare_

_Per dirti come mi sento_

_Perché io sono_

_ammutolito"_

The swift strums of an Alvarez guitar and the light voice of the Spanish accented singer filled the busy streets of Venice. It was his voice that had people swarming to him. How strange to hear a beautiful Spanish voice in an Italian town. The crowds were enjoying the slight twist the accent held in their language, drawing them like mice to cheese to the male singer.

He patted the bottom of his guitar to end the song and smiled as he watched a bountiful amount of money come flowing into his case. Strangely enough, it was his dream to become a street performer. He was able to share his lovely voice with others, earn money, and meet amazing people with just as much or even more talent than he! It was the life, _vivir la vidar hermosa.  
_

_"Grazie, grazie mille,"_ the man waved farewell to the dispersing crowd as he gathered his belongings, with the money, and headed toward the beautiful Rialto.

"Ah, what a beautiful night. _Muy muy hermosa. _I wish I could stay here, in this same spot, forever," he sighed hopefully. The man leaned against the the railing, his broad tan arms supporting his chin as it rested against them. His green eyes staring dreamily off into the distance, watching couples merrily walk together and young children running to catch up with their families. If only things would stay like this forever.

A red head with a curl prodded the man's shoulder repetitively while looking around nervously._ "Mi scusi, signore, uh hai visto un maschio che sembra proprio come me?" Excuse me, sir, uh have you seen a male who looks just like me? _The man looked down at him, trying to translate what he just said and piece together a correct response.

"Uhh... C_he cosa?_"

The boy fidgeted and starting looking around desperately. _"Hai visto un maschio che sembra proprio come me?" _

The man finally recognized what he was saying. _"Mi dispiace, ma non,"_ _I'm sorry, but no. _He shook his head just in case he said the wrong thing and the boy didn't understand him. He watched as the boy nodded his head in thanks and disappeared among the litters of people walking along the bridge. The man turned back to the river and readjusted the guitar case on his back. He really did wish he knew how to help the child. His friend (brother?) could be anywhere by now...

"Ha, I am Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, I'm not suppose to be worried about such simple things." Antonio gazed off into the distance again, but this time not paying much attention to the folks walking by. "I'm not suppose to be worried about _anything._" He sighed before picking up his belongings once more and turning around to head towards his hotel. But as he spun on his heels, Antonio walked straight into something. Or someone. Hard; smacking his forehead against the rough head opposite of him.

_"_Argh,_ che diavolo bastardo? Che fa male!" __Argh, what the hell? You bastard. That hurts! _The angered Italian flushed a bright red from embarrassment and glared at the suspecting-to-be-hit Spaniard.

_Huh, he looks like a tomato... _The thought made Antonio want to laugh but he refused to chuckle in the man's face. That would only anger him more. But there was something off about this Italian. Something vaguely familiar...

"Hey! You're that boy I saw earlier! Did you find your friend?" For some reason that only made the Italian boy flush even more (if that was possible). "But wasn't your curl on the other side? And you seemed more timid... Oh well, it's none of my business anyway." As the somewhat excited Spaniard continued to rant, the man in front of him gradually became more annoyed than mad.

"I should apologize shouldn't I? Okay, well, I'm sorry for bumping into you. It was probably my fault. Um, are you understanding me? You speak Italian, _si?_ Hm, lets see... _Mi chiamo Antonio. Piacere di conoscerti" Pleased to meet you. _Antonio held out his hand for the boy to take, but it was swatted away rudely.

"Hmm, did I say something wrong? _Mi dispiace. _Is it my accent throwing you off? _Mi dispiace, dispiace-" _

"Why wont you shut up?! I do not care about your name or your stupid Spanish accent! Now go shove some tomatoes down your throat you bastard!" The Italian man shouted at Antonio before turning around and finding that his portable food stand had fallen. With all of his precious fruit rolling along the street.

"Oh, I'm very sorry," Antonio placed his hand on the man's shoulder and he was sent a menacing glare.

"Get your filthy hand off of me. It's your fault that my goods are now splattered on the floor! Now what am I suppose to sell? I don't get another shipment until _two weeks from now! _You're paying for these."

Antonio scanned over the spoiled fruit, "How many?"

"All."

"How much?"

"Two euros-"

"Oh that's not a lot-"

"Each."

The Spaniard's face went pale. There were like...forty-two fruit rolling on the ground! Not including the ones that just fell and were sitting there, or the demolished stand sprawled on the floor. He'd have to pay for that too... _"Wow, eso es un montón de dinero!" Wow, that's a lot of money!_

"Si. Now, are you going to pay me or am I gonna have to report you?" There was a threatening tone in the Italian's voice that made a small cold run up Antonio's spine.

"Uh, I'll...pay?" He didn't want to. He _really _didn't want to.

"Good, you rotten tomato bastard," the Italian man glanced back at his bruised and battered fruit before glaring up at Antonio. "And I want the money by tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow? Don't you think that's a little unreasonable? That's over three hundred euros all together! I can't-" Antonio took a quick look at his guitar case. He had about that much money in there... No! He _needed _that money. There had to be another way.

The man in front of him just grunted, ending the conversation and effectively walking away. "I will meet you tomorrow at this _exact _spot. 10:00 am. If you dare be late I will kill you're unwanted _Spanish _ass."

The way he stated Antonio's nationality had the man's blood boiling. All he wanted to do was punch him in his face right now, but he calmly waited for the anger to simmer down. Once he was 'calm', Antonio lugged his guitar case over his shoulder and went straight for his hotel. He had a long day tomorrow.

_**~Merci Danneggiate**_

_"Voglio solo tocco e bacio_

_E vorrei che avrei potuto essere con voi stasera_

_Tu mi dai le farfalle dentro, dentro e io" _

A crowd began to form around Antonio as he started up the chorus, his fingers grazing over the strings swiftly and his accented voice tingly the Italian words running from his plump lips. He swept into the second verse as the forming group around him grew larger. A twinge of electricity set his stomach on fire and he had to hold back his smile. This song didn't call for laughter. Maybe a firm smirk, but that was as far as he could go.

_"Tutto quello che devo dire è che sto sognando, non può essere reale_

_Tu non sei qui con me, ancora posso sentire tu vicino a me_

_Io ti carezza, ci consentono di gustare, solo così felice ascoltare_

_Vorrei dare bambino qualsiasi cosa, basta fare i miei sogni_

_Oh baby tu mi dai farfalle" _

The females in the crowd visibly blushed while the males grunted or held on tighter to their women's arms. The reactions tickled at Antonio's throat but he refused to laugh; not when he was getting to the good parts. As the song dragged on, the sun fell higher into the morning, preparing for evening.

And Antonio for bankruptcy.

He mentally groaned in frustration as he voiced the throaty-ness needed for that particular part. Why didn't that twin (friend?) act like the other one? Maybe he could compromise with him? Make a deal of some sorts.

Antonio had to catch himself before he royally screwed up a very important riff. This wasn't the time to be focusing on such matters.

The song eventually came to a close with him ending it in a vibrato. The crowd cheered and threw at him dozens after dozens of bills. He laughed at the swooned women and the puffed up males. _They _even were nice enough to _glare _at him _while _tossing some euros and coins into his guitar case. As they dispersed, Antonio made a note to perform on the Rialto, it clearly held more business.

By now the sun had settled in a relatively nice spot; where it wasn't radiating directly over him, but wasn't hidden behind fluffy bunches of cotton-like molecules. He never had a thing for science, but it was nice to be away from the ignorance of others. So while he attended school, Antonio would always strive for all A's. Even though most students and teachers thought he was incompetent and too laid-back, he actually understood _everything _they taught; and even more than the teachers themselves. Him _and _his trio of best friends.

The memory had Antonio cringing. The trio. Oh how he missed those days.

The Spaniard just shook the thought away. He could reminiscence on such thoughts another time. Hopefully when he reunited with his old pals and took a stroll down Memory Lane. That'd be fun.

"_Caoi, _you have my money?" The voice behind him pulled Antonio out of his daze. His eyes scrolled up the body, lingering too long on his crotch, and met the Italian's gaze.

"Oh, the money. Yeah, that." He hadn't even properly counted his money before shoving it inside of his guitar case. How much did he owe him? "Yeah I don't know if I can pay you right now." He bit at his lower lip, silently praying that the man wouldn't alert the police.

"What do you mean? We agreed on it _yesterday. On this exact spot. _You agreed to pay me my money back _today._"

"Yes, I know that. But I sincerely do not have enough to supply you right now." His eyes moved on their own to peek at his guitar case. Maybe he did...?

"No. I want what is due to me. One way or the other," the man dug into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone. Panic arose inside of Antonio. He surged up from his cross-legged sitting position and stood dangerously close to the Italian. He was towering over the Italian, unknowingly intimidating him.

"W-w-what d-do you think y-you're doing? B-back off you i-insignificant tomato b-bastard." The man quivered underneath Antonio's panicked gaze; the expression coming off as some kind of crazed serial killer. His fingers fumbled for the police numbers but the memorized dials wouldn't surface past his mind fog. _Curse those sexy green eyes!_

Antonio backed off the man a little, getting the notion from how he shrunk beneath him in fear. "Well, maybe I could just do something for you?"

_"Stai lontano da me! Oh Dio, aiutami" Stay away from me! Oh, God help me.  
_

_Aww, he's speaking in Italian now. Tsk tsk tsk. _Antonio chewed his lower lip. What was he suppose to say? What could he do? He _scared _the poor man.

He placed his left hand on the Italian's shoulder and was about to apologize when the man shuddered upon contact. "Are you alri-"

"Back off you dumb bastard! I'll shove a stick up your ass and get me my money! I'm not playing!" Antonio's grip was shot off and he was left to tumble on to his behind from the harsh shove. Was he not expecting that.

"Uh?" There was something about the way the man's face so enthusiastically shifted it's color that made the Spaniard's lips curl into a smile. Or how that curl bounced childishly whenever the flustered/angered man moved. It was adorable, to say the least. Antonio couldn't help as a full-on smile fell upon his face, a small chuckle leaving his lips. Which lead to heavier and heartier ones.

The Italian in front of him eye twitched in confusion. The Spaniard was sprawled out on the ground from a push, intently watching his every move and _laughing. Laughing. _What was so funny? Had he missed something?

This only infuriated the man even more. "Why are you laughing? Answer me before I slaughter you and throw your body into the river!"

Antonio just kept on with his laughter, loving the pink caressing the man's cheeks. His heart was filling with solely joy; he wasn't gonna let this up anytime soon.

"I said answer me!_ Perché ridi brutto bastardo! Ti odio ... Dimmi, dannazione! Se non mi dici io ti ammazzo! Dico sul serio! ... Vaffanculo!" Why do you laugh you bastard! I hate you ... Tell me, damn it! If you do not tell me I'll kill you! I'm serious! ... Fuck you! _Antonio contently watched as the Italian basically begun to sputter obscurities and flush even more. He was even beginning to take a liking to watching the man be angered. It was quite the entertainment. _  
_

"Ha ha, calm down okay _chico? _I'll pay you back... but in a different way." There was an underlining meaning to his words that the Spaniard forced out of his head. Even though this man would be a nice one-night stand, he felt it in his heart that he didn't want to do _that _to him. It was weird but nonetheless still there.

The man mumbled a few more curses before grumbling, "What?"

"What if I worked for you? No pay. Until I pay you back all that I owe. How about it?" The request was simple. Yes or no. But the Italian looked as if he was seriously weighing out the options. Antonio sat patiently, preparing himself for a stern "no" and/or a punch in the face. The man was quite serious about his money.

It was a bit of time before the answer was spoken. Multitudes of families and couples and children scurried past them; all biding their time with useless technologies or captivating love. _Love. _The word stung in Antonio's mind. He hadn't thought of that word in a long time. It was foreign and distasteful.

"Fine."

Antonio was snapped back into reality. _"¿Qué?"_

The Italian puffed out some air before crossing his arms and glaring down at the Spaniard. "I said fine. But until you pay me back my money. _Every last cent_. _Capire?" Understand? _

It took a few seconds for the answer to fully sink into the Spaniard's mind. Once it was processed he jumped to his feet and vigorously shook the Italian's hand. _"Oh, gracias, gracias, gracias! Te prometo que no voy a defraudar, Promise ~" Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I will not disappoint. _As he continued to shake the wobbly hand, the Italian's face softened; but only slightly.

"A-ah, let g-go. _Now. _Well, um, goodbye." Before he could speed away, his wrist was taken into a vice grip.

"It wouldn't be professional if I didn't know my boss' name, would it? So, _Qual è il tuo nome?_" _What is your name? _The Italian stared at him blankly before grunting out a low rumble. "Huh? Speak up, I didn't hear you."

"Lovino Vargas."

"Ah, Lovino," Antonio nodded. "You should already know my name but.. Antonio. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Nice to be working for you." He smiled at Lovino before letting go and allowing the flustered Italian to finally leave.

_Lovino Vargas. Lovino. _He rolled the name around on his tongue, indulging in how it sounded. He swirled it on his tip and in the back of his mind, not getting enough of the beautiful name. _Ya'know, I could get use to saying that name. _

_**~Merci Danneggiate**_

_"Stavo vagando sotto la pioggia_

_Maschera di vita, sentendomi 'folle_

_Swift e improvvisa caduta dalla grazia_

_Giornate di sole sembrano lontani_

_Cremlino ombra belittlin me '_

_La tomba di Stalin non mi permetta di essere_

_Su e su e su di essa si pioggia_

_Vorrei che la pioggia sarebbe solo lasciatemi" _

Antonio found himself wandering deep inside his memories; his joyful stroll down memory lane shifting into a deep and dark tunnel of pain. He couldn't help it, the song was just too depressing. Even his usual Italian crowd that was always full of life had become solemn and calm. His leg twitched restlessly.

_"Come ci si sente_

_Come ci si sente_

_Come ci si sente_

_Quando si è soli_

_E si sente freddo dentro" _

His guitar wasn't cutting it. It seemed too happy, not meant to be alongside this anguish song. But once again, he couldn't help it. Something told him that he needed the careless chords. It took the hidden pain away.

Antonio glided his fingers through the last chords and wiped a stray tear from his eye. As he looked up at the diffusing crowd he noticed that most were wiping away loose tears as well. His heart pounded lightly against his chest in joy. He had evoked emotions through _music_. A goal that he constantly achieved but is still ecstatic whenever he does it. The man turned back around to collect his money when his face came right up to a boot. A brown boot that he'd seen multiple times before.

"Lovino! You're early. Did you enjoy the show?" Antonio grinned up at the Italian half-suspecting to hear him curse him out. But what he got was a sweet reply... and also a slightly annoying one.

_"Fantastic! Molto, molto buono! Lovino non mi ha mai detto che si potrebbe cantare. Hm, mi chiedo perché..." Fantastic! Very, very good. Lovino never told me that you could sing. Hm, I wonder why... _The Italian man bear hugged Antonio until the Spaniard was wheezing for breath.

"A-ah? Would you mind letting go? _prego?" _Antonio pushed lightly against the Italian who seemed to be his #1 fan right now. He really didn't want to get caught hugging this man, especially if Lovino was anywhere around. Wait... why was he thinking of Lovino?

"Am I squeezing too hard?" Before Antonio could answer, the Italian dropped him on the floor. "Oops, I'm sorry. Ve~ I'm Feliciano Vargas, Lovino's younger brother," he held out his hand for Antonio to take, "you're Antonio, correct?"

The Spaniard felt like swatting the hand away in mock disgust, but instead found it sort of... _inviting? _"Si, I am Antonio Fernandez Carriedo," he said while gripping Feliciano's hand and pulling himself off of his behind. "I'm sorry about calling you by your brother's name. Heh, you must get that a lot," he was met with a carelessly weak nod. "Um, were you serious about me singing good?" For some reason he was compelled to know the Italian's opinion.

The answer came flying out of Feliciano's mouth right after Antonio awkwardly paused; "Oh yeah! I loved it! _Molto bella, sì?_" _very beautiful, yes? _Feliciano bounced on the tip of his toes a little, his curl flopping up and down. A happy-go-lucky smile played at his lips and every pore on him radiated joy. _Ha, he reminds me of my younger self, _Antonio thought, feeling his day brightened. It was when Feliciano remembered something that brought Antonio back to reality.

"Oh yeah, Lovino told me to come pick you up. I guess we should be leaving now, si?" Feliciano turned away and started up a quick stride to his motorbike. Climbing onto the black vehicle, Feliciano beckoned Antonio over to the _one seated _bike.

"Um, I'm not trying to be hard or anything, but, where am I suppose to sit?" The Spaniard paced around the motorbike, trying to spot out a space for himself. Feliciano was just childishly grinning.

"I have a seat for you! It's right," Feliciano went behind a building and came back a few seconds later with a black object in his hands, "here!" The young Italian held out a miniature bowl with enough space to fit one adult male inside. It had a safety strap and on the exterior had an attachment clip to connect the motorbike and the bowl.

"Are? Are you expecting me to sit in _that?_" He couldn't help the sarcasm from dripping off his tongue. The kid _had_ to be joking! What would Antonio -_Antonio Fernandez Carriedo_- look like riding around in _that? _It would surely ruin his image.

"Just this once, Antonio. Please? Lovino is waiting on us," Feliciano flashed Antonio with two doses of puppy dog eyes and the Spaniard immediately melted. How could you say no to Feliciano's puppy eyes?

"Fine, fine," Antonio grumbled while taking the helmet from Feliciano's free hand and snapping it on his head. "But we will get out a little ways away from Lovino's market stand and walk there. Okay? And we will _never _speak of this."

"Si. Ve~ you're so nice Antonio. Now I know why Lovino talks about you a lot~"

"Huh?" Antonio didn't quite hear him since the helmet was so thick.

"Oh, nothing." Feliciano smiled at Antonio as they sat in their respective places and when they were both comfortable (or as comfortable as Antonio could get), Feliciano began the semi-long drive to Lovino's market stand.

_**~Merci Danneggiate**_

_"Perché ci hai messo così tanto tempo, tu ritardato bastardo?!" What took you so long, you retarded bastard?! _Lovino shouted at the approaching men after handing a customer their bag of tomatoes. The angered Italian stood behind a new wooden stand, piles of fruit covering the desk-like structure. Antonio reached past Lovino and took an apple, crunching into it almost immediately. "Hey! That's two extra euros added on!"

The Spaniard almost choked (as if the statement wasn't expected.) "But I'm starved! I haven't even properly eaten breakfast yet!" To prove his point, Antonio's stomach growled intensely. Feliciano gave him a small smile but went to go stand beside his brother.

"How am I going to make money if you _eat _all of my merchandise- Hey! Stop it!" Lovino waved his arms in an attempt to stop the atrocious hungry Spanish monster from eating another apple.

Antonio chewed on his apple. He noticed that as he chewed, the females walking by would slow in pace and stare, some even drooling. This gave Antonio an idea. "Lovino, what if I get these to be sold for double? Would that take care of my eating debt?" He held out the halfway eaten apples by their stem and gave Lovino a hopeful look. Which was quickly shot down.

"Who would buy something that _you_ of all people devoured already?" It wasn't really a question, more off a downcast; but Antonio brushed it off of his shoulder with ease.

"Just watch and learn Lovino, I promise." Antonio grinned down at the slightly shorter man and left the brothers with two apples swinging by their stems.

The Spaniard approached a girl with choppy brunette hair and a (seemingly) smooth round face. _"Volete alcune mele? Sono da quella posizione incantevole proprio lì e sono davvero deliziosi." _The woman looked in the direction Antonio pointed in and she saw two Italian brothers chatting quite vigorously with each other. The scene brought a smile to her lips.

_"Si, Mi piacerebbe," yes, I would love to. _She took the apples, the gigantic bite marks on the other side being left unnoticed, and bit into one of them. Antonio chewed the inside of his cheek to stop the laughter that was bubbling in his chest. The woman blushed before digging into her purse and handing Antonio a couple of bills. She then scurried away while hacking through apples.

_Sucker. _The Spaniard counted the money and found that the woman handed him a twenty... Not his problem; Antonio literally skipped back to the Italian twins and threw the money down in front of Lovino. "What did I tell you? And this is more than double, too." Lovino stared in shock, looking from the pile of money then up to Antonio, then back again.

"Wow. U-um, _grazie?"_ A blush formed on Lovino's cheeks and he turned away. "But that doesn't excuse what you did. Thief." Lovino placed the money into his case and locked it shut.

"Aww, that's what I get for helping you out? _Mi aspettavo almeno un bacio ..." _

Lovino and Feliciano blushed darkly. "You bastard! I can understand you!"

"Ve~ If that's what you want." Feliciano was about to peck Antonio on the cheek but Lovino roughly shoved him _far _away from the Spaniard.

"Go advertise or something, I don't care, just stay away from this guy," Feliciano solemnly nodded to his brother's commands and retreated to his business corner. Lovino sighed, suddenly feeling tired, and slumped against the side 'wall'. It was only about three now, but it felt like a whole day had passed...

_Poke, poke_.

Lovino opened one of his eyes and furiously glared at the man poking him.

_Poke, poke. _"Um, sorry to bother you, but... what am I suppose to do?" Antonio stopped poking Lovino for a quick second, but when he received nothing but a glare he continued the poking. "Seriously, I want to do _something._" He was about purr the word into Lovino's already flushed ear but he barely knew the guy. Nothing too drastic yet. Maybe later...

"Ugh, get away from me!" Lovino pathetically shoved the Spaniard's chest but found that he was basically tickling the man. With a bright flush upon his cheeks Lovino surrendered and told Antonio to: "go advertise or something... you bastard."

"Okay!" The man saluted the Italian and then ran away into the middle of the street.

_What to do, what to do, _Antonio tapped his chin in thought. How should he advertise Lovino's market stand? Antonio looked around, trying to find another stand that could clue him on how to go about this.

Across the street stood two other Italians (they didn't look like brothers) behind a market stand holding jewelry and other materialistic merchandise. Antonio watched as one of the Italians repetitively announced the stand to passing pedestrians. Some of the people would politely nod 'no' and keep walking, while most of them stopped to gawk/buy the items. Antonio then looked back to Lovino's and Feliciano's market stand, which was barely getting any customers. From what it seemed like, Lovino was intimidating the supposed customers away while Feliciano was talking their ears off. Antonio looked back and forth from the two shops, small pieces from the puzzle-of-advertising beginning to connect in his mind.

In a light bulb moment, Antonio encouraged the epiphany and ran to get his guitar case. Careful not to show anyone (cough_Lovino_cough) his hidden stash of money, Antonio sat cross-legged on the side of the market stand a little ways away and held the instrument in his lap. Just from the sight of the beautiful Alvarez, a miniature crowd began to form around the shop.

Antonio strummed his guitar once before going into the made-up-on-the-spot song.

_"Beautiful galore, _

_Broad oceans ashore,_

_Sweet nothings spoken,_

_To the ones left hoping,_

_Buy some wine on your way,_

_For your home here awaits,_

_'Til dawn turns to dusk_

_And your heart you must trust_

_But leave your heart with me,_

_For I will set you free,_

_And we'll enjoy our lives ahead_

_'Til we're done and fully fed_

_The sun's Lovino's,_

_The moon's Feliciano,_

_I know what you know,_

_Their food's magnifico" _

Antonio bit his lower lip, knowing all-too-well that the crowd most likely only understood three of the words in the song; Lovino, Feliciano, and magnifico. He prepared himself for the mummers of confusion to bubble and for the multitudes of people to disperse and not give Lovino's concession stand a second glance. But to his surprise, the crowd began circling around Lovino's shop and ordering everything or anything that they saw! He watched as Feliciano gave him a thumbs up (and probably a "Ve~" too) and then went to work at fulfilling the customer's orders.

But that's not what got to him. It was the appreciative expression that was holding Lovino's face into a smile. A true smile that illuminated every beautiful feature on the man. It had Antonio's heart thumping for an unknown reason.

"Hey Antonio! Come over here and help us! Ve~" Feliciano knocked Antonio out of his daze and the Spaniard squeezed through the bundles of people to reach the stand. He stood between the two Italian brothers, handing them bags to put the fruit in and collecting some of the profits. "You know, you're a really good singer."

"Ah, why _gracias._" Antonio handed Lovino a bag and a woman placed two euros in his free hand.

"I was just wandering, but, how did you learn how to sing like that?" Feliciano inquired while handing a man forty euros worth of tomatoes. He took the money from him and then looked up at the in-a-daydream Antonio. The Spaniard rubbed his smooth chin, thinking out an understandable way to tell his story.

"Ah, I remember," Antonio glanced up at the smaller group of customers, taking some money from two of them and thanking them for their purchase. When all but four were gone, Antonio backed away from the counter and sat down on a lounge chair Lovino had set up.

"My tale started when I was only a _niño. _When I was growing up, _Abuelita, _that's 'grandma', would hold me in her arms and sing me lullabies until I would go to sleep. As I grew older, I would gradually learn the lyrics through my tired mind and begin singing along. _Abuelita _said that I had a wonderful voice for a child my age, so she started giving me singing lessons. She was a wonderful teacher and singer. Our voices would harmonize on certain parts but on others, I would make mine deeper just the emphasize her beautiful soprano pitch. My life was perfect that way, singing with my grandmother and listening to her tales in fury Spanish rhymes. You could say that, that was her special way of telling me stories and teaching me life lessons; in her songs. I guess that's why I sing so good now." Antonio smiled, remembering his deceased grandmother always brought him tears and smiles. He wiped a stray tear off his face and calmed his breathing before more tears sprung up.

"Aw, Antonio, your _nonna _sounds pretty cool. She reminds me of my _nonnina, _though mine was more physically active because of what her and Grandpa Rome would do every-"

"He does _not _need to know that!" Lovino shouted before his brother could finish. The flustered Italian piled up the euros into a stack and stuck them inside of his suitcase. He then proceeded to actually hit Feliciano with the luggage and then sat down in a chair beside his harmed brother; who was currently pouting and rubbing his head.

"You call your grandpa 'Grandpa Rome?'" Antonio asked.

Feliciano instantly recovered, "Oh yeah, he is the best! Grandpa hates being called by his real name so he told us to call him Rome, since he's a big fan of Italy's history. Grandpa said that if we were countries, he would be Rome, I would be North Italy and Lovino would be South Italy."

"The bastard did that on purpose," Lovino scoffed. "Northern Italy is known for it's art and cultural history, unlike Southern Italy. What the bastard is really saying is that Feli is more artistic than me."

"But Lovino, that's not what Grandpa Rome meant~"

"Oh, whatever... That raw potato eating bastard." Lovino crossed his arms and tilted his nose up.

The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow over where the three coworkers were. More people were starting to come out of their houses to travel down the Rialto, awaiting the surely gorgeous sunset to be. Antonio shifted in his chair, leaning his head back and basking in the relief the position gave his back. With two friends (if you could count Lovino) by his side, the prized guitar his two best friends gave him, and the perfect view of the sunset in place, Antonio could've stayed right there like this forever. But as we all know, time stops for no one.

"Ve~ I'm getting kinda sleepy," Feliciano announced. He rubbed his eyes and yawned once more, "Think you could make the pasta tonight?" Lovino scowled at his tired brother but hastily nodded his head. "_Grazie milli, fratello." _

Antonio held his eyes open for the third time since Feliciano had spoken. It wasn't even close to the time Antonio would usually go to bed, but after all of their hard work, Antonio could feel the exhaust creeping in on him. He stretched out his back, twisting in the seat until he heard the satisfying _crack _and then reached for his guitar case but found that it wasn't there. Antonio lifted his head to come face to face with the bottom of his guitar case. "Hm?"

"_Gra-grazie. Grazie per averci aiutato a oggi... Lo apprezzo molto, bastardo." _The words were so soft spoken that Antonio didn't hear enough to translate more than "thank you' and "bastard."

Antonio smiled then took the slightly heavy case from Lovino. "So, tomorrow? Same spot?" He was met with two nods, one smile, and one scoff; and a suppose-to-be secret blush but Antonio saw it anyway. When the two brothers departed from Antonio after a quick argument about pasta and packing their equipment and leftover fruit up, the Spaniard flopped back on the lounge chair and exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. An alien warmth had somehow captivated Antonio's heart.

_**~Merci Danneggiate** _

Antonio's dream was plagued with Lovino. From the Italian's smile, to his angered face, to his flustered one, to the pink blush that he would try so hard to hide; Antonio couldn't get enough of it. The Spaniard woke with a butterfly feeling in his stomach. He didn't feel sick, nor did he feel frightened, but he just felt...weird.

The man rubbed his forehead, feeling the light layer of sweat forming there. He got up from his bed and went -more so stumbled- into the bathroom. Antonio limply cut on the light, disregarding the thought of closing the door -who else would see him?- and stared into the mirror.

He didn't look distressed or exhausted; actually, his face seemed brighter and his eyes were more vibrant. So why did his heart feel heavy and his stomach feel as though it was churning? But in a pleasant way?

_"Dios mío, ¿qué hay de malo en mí?" My God, what's wrong with me? _He stripped of his clothing and stepped into the shower, turning the water on_ freddo, _cold, to soften his slight erection. What was his problem? Why did he get hard from just _thinking _about Lovino? Well, the guy was handsome, but Antonio had restrained himself from making any sexual advances. Why had he done it? Because his heart told him not to? But why was his heart getting into what the body/mind wanted? It never did that before.

"Ugh," Antonio was getting a headache from all of thinking. Maybe it was just his childish hormones kicking it... _Ha! How irrational does that sound? I'm a full grown man, I don't have teenage hormones anymore. _Antonio just decided on not thinking any longer. He was surely going to give himself a headache from all of the torture musing was giving him.

...

_"Questo è questo, qui mi trovo_

_Io sono la luce del mondo, mi sento grandioso_

_Got questo amore, posso sentire_

_E so per certo che sì è vero" _

Antonio sat on the rail, his guitar case open for collecting and his fingers gracing the strings through blissful strums. He had forgotten to take his pick out of the case and was too lazy to get it out; so he just used his resources (his fingers.) The crowd was bobbing their heads, some who knew the song were singing along, causing a ripple of voices into the air. Unlike what most would think, the chorus made of strangers was quite pleasant to the ears, and it had Antonio internally grinning. But he couldn't smile while singing, it would cause him to beam brighter and distract the listeners from actually _listening _and instead make them watch his beauty. Or at least that was his reason for not smiling like a maniac.

_"E si sente come se avessi visto la tua faccia un migliaio di volte_

_E hai detto che vuoi un po 'per te stesso_

_E hai detto che vuole andare con me per tutto il tempo_

_E so che è proprio vero me stesso_

_Oh yeah" _

Antonio caught glimpse of Lovino and Feliciano setting up their stand, some of his audience leaving to buy the fresh fruit. Now, Antonio's smiling was beaming. He felt a small pride well in his chest, a pride that meant a lot to him. _He _had help improve Lovino and Feliciano's business. _He _was giving them more customers. _His _Lovi had said "Thank you."

_"__Non ho mai sentito una sola parola su di te_

_Innamorarmi non era nei miei piani_

_Non ho mai pensato che sarei stato il tuo amante_

_Come on baby prego di capire_

_Oh yeah_

_Non ho mai sentito una sola parola su di te_

_Innamorarmi non era nei miei piani" _

There was a deeper meaning behind those words. Antonio knew it. He knew that he knew it. It was silently prodding the back of his mind like a kid would a dead animal with a stick. It was annoying, and it needed to be dealt with. But how would he go about recognizing unknown feelings? Antonio mentally sighed as he ended the song with a smack to the base of the guitar. The crowd roared, applauding him and moving to other entertainment personals.

The Spaniard collected his money, counting up over two thousand dollars, and tucked his guitar into the case before halfway zipping it up, stopping when a thought hit him. He could give Lovino the owed money now. He could've paid Lovino that very day he met him, but it had slipped his mind. He could get rid of the bothering thoughts _today. _He wouldn't have to work for them any longer. He should be rejoicing, but instead it was making him feel nauseous. Antonio just finished the zipping and tossed the case over his shoulder.

_"Buenos dias mis amigos! Como estas esta muy bien dias?" Good morning my friends! How are you this fine day?_ Antonio shifted the guitar weight to his other shoulder and was pulled into a kiss on the cheek by Feliciano.

_"Buongiorno!" Good morning! _Feliciano pulled away from the chaste kiss and smiled up at Antonio. "I'm good. Lovino made pasta last night and it was pretty bad." Antonio chuckled when he saw Lovino bristle. He then strolled over to Lovino and leaned down.

When nothing happened but a glare from Lovino, Antonio asked, "What? No morning kis-"

_Smack! _Lovino's hand planted firmly against the Spaniard's cheeks; a mixture of anger and embarrassment crossing his features. "Don't _ever _ask something like that. Understand you dirty tomato loving bastard?"

Antonio grinned, taking Lovino's hand swiftly and landed a soft kiss on the back of it, "Of course I do." He then quickly backed away from him; Antonio had learnt by now that Lovino was a hot ball of fire.

"You stupid bastard! Go burn in fucking Hell!" Lovino stormed off to the other side of the stand and attended to the confused customer. Feliciano gave Antonio a half smile before skipping over to his brother. The Spaniard grinned, his lips tingling from the sheer touch of Lovino's skin. He could get used to working for them...

**__****~Merci Danneggiate**

The thoughts wouldn't leave Antonio. No matter how many times he begged his mind to leave those feelings be, it would only make things worse. He had never felt this before. He had never felt the urge to just be _near _a person all of the time. Not to have crazy kinky sex with them, no, he had that a lot, but to _hold _them and _protect _them.

Antonio didn't know how it began, how those feelings came to be. When they first met, Antonio was sure that he would end up hating the man. Though at times he strongly was on the verge of strangling him and taking him right then and there (sexual frustration had a good role in that) his heart just wouldn't let him. He knew what his body wanted, but his heart wasn't in it. And Antonio stood strong in his belief: if his heart wasn't in it than he wasn't going to do it.

It was confusing, but as Antonio approached the Italian's stand, a wholehearted smile tugged on his lips.

"Hello! How are you?"

Feliciano, as always, was the first to speak. "_Caoi! _I'm pretty good, but Lovino isn't feeling quite well, so he took the day off." Once Feliciano said that Antonio realized that Lovino wasn't there. The Spaniard attempted to hide his worried expression, but Feliciano picked up on it anyway. "Oh, don't worry. He'll be okay. Probably just some bad pasta, ve?"

"Sure." Why did his heart feel so heavy? Antonio noticed the clouds rolling over the sky and the few people walking on the bridge. A cold wind was beginning to blow around them. "Is there suppose to be a storm?" He looked back at Feliciano's now falling expression.

"Ve, Lovi did say something about that... Hm, I don't think that we're gonna have much business today, do you?" Antonio shook his head. "Well, how about we close up and I take you back to my place for some nice and hot pasta? It'll at least warm our stomachs," Feliciano hugged his stomach and shivered. Antonio, on the other hand, was taken off guard and slightly blushing.

_Don't think like that! _"You'll do that? Isn't it too much on you? I mean, you have to take care of Lovino and I don't want to be a bother."

"But I invited you! Don't worry so much Antonio. You're our friend and you're welcome to come to our house anytime~" There was something in the way that Feliciano had said that that had Antonio feeling warmer and welcomed.

"Well, when you say it like that, _Me encantaría_ _ir," I would love to go. _The two smiled at each other before packing up their belongings and going to Feliciano's red car.

Antonio ran his palm down the smooth red convertible cover and climbed into the passenger seat. "Nice car," he said after examining the cozy teal seats. Feliciano keyed on the engine and drove down the first corner.

"It was Grandpa Rome's but I ended up inheriting it."

"Inheriting?"

"_Si. _After he left, all of his possessions got split between me and Lovino, since we're his only grandchildren."

A quizzical look crossed Antonio's face, "_¿Qué? _Did he die?"

"Oh, no. He just left for a while, but this time he said that he'll be gone for a couple of years, so he gave us his stuff. Though, when he do pass away, we'll get our inheritance of whatever money he has. Right now though, we just have objects." Feliciano's usually happy expression faltered and a solemn atmosphere held in the car. "I don't _ever _want to have that."

Antonio was locked on making Feliciano happy. He didn't like the sad look on him. "But you don't have to worry about that now, _amigo. _He's still here, so you should enjoy it and not worry about the future. _Si?" _

_"Si~" _The carefree expression had once again taken Feliciano's face. The man turned another corner and ran into a red light, Feliciano then glanced at Antonio. "You're a really nice friend, especially to Lovino."

"Hm?"

"Usually people would overlook Lovino and come straight to me. But not you. You was interested in him since you guys first met! And even though he can be rude at times, Lovino means well. He really does! When he first met Ludwig, Lovino would call him 'Potato Bastard' and other names, but now, Lovino can sit at the same table with him!"

That didn't seem like much of an improvement to Antonio, but he didn't say anything. Though, the name had a ring to it. Ludwig... Ludwig... Where had he heard that from?

"We're almost there~" Feliciano chirped from beside him.

There was something inside of Antonio that had him wandering if he could get the Italian to help him with his problem. Feliciano seemed like he was good with people and advice, and the guy was so welcoming. Maybe Feliciano wouldn't say anything to Lovino about it...

"Hey, Feli? Can I tell you something? Something secret?"

"Oh yeah, sure! I love secrets! Well, keeping them I mean."

"...Well, you see... I think that I might... Um... I think that I might _like _Lovino." Antonio peeked at the Italian, who seemed to be contemplating something. "What? What is it?"

"Oh um... I'm not suppose to tell you... But since you just confessed to me then I guess that I could-"

_"__Feliciano, mi amigo, por favor, por favor dígame. Te lo ruego." Feliciano, my friend, please, please tell me. I'm begging you. _Why did Antonio feel so desperate to know?

"Well, um, since you asked politely... Lovino likes you too!"

_"What?" _The word was emphasized with a harsh step on the brakes and Feliciano almost running a red light.

"_Si. _He told me not to tell. But since you told me of your love than it was only right to tell you of his. I didn't want to see you hurt if Lovino rejected you..."

_"What?" _That was all that Antonio's mind was thinking.

What?

_What? _

_**What?** _

Was Feliciano telling the truth? Did Lovino actually like him? Wait, no, _loved _him? Antonio's mind was spinning and an overwhelming happiness was filtering into his heart. This was too good to be true. _  
_

"Hold it right there _la pasta, _where did you get the idea that I _loved _him? I said _like _not _love." _

"But aren't those the same thing? You really care for him, _si?" _

"Of course."

"You always want to be near him, right?"

"Sure."

"And you want to protect him?"

"Exactly."

"Well Antonio, that is love!" Why, oh why, when Feliciano put it that way it seemed so simple? Antonio had been a slave to his own mind because of not knowing if he really did like Lovino. And now he _loved _him? It looked impossible, but it seemed so true. The Spaniard's stomach did a small flip and his heart pounded relentlessly against his chest. Maybe, if he thought about it, he _was _in love with Lovino.

"C-can you not say anything about this?"

Feliciano pulled into the driveway (of the ridiculously large brick house) and parked the car. He turned off the engine and faced Antonio, smiling brightly and beaming. "Sure~ I'm pretty hungry now, you still up for some pasta?"

Antonio couldn't help but smile, "Yeah, I'd really like some."

**__****~Merci Danneggiate**

_"Una volta che tutto solo_

_Mi ero perso in un mondo di estranei_

_Nessuno di cui fidarsi_

_Da sola, mi sentivo solo" _

It had been three months. Three months since Antonio had acknowledged his feelings. Three months since Feliciano had notified Antonio of Lovino's feelings towards him. Three months full of laughter, joy, and the utmost of all, love.

_"Hai apparso improvvisamente_

_Era nuvoloso prima, ma ora è tutto chiaro_

_È ha portato via la paura_

_E tu mi ha portato indietro alla luce" _

Love. Antonio smiled at the thought. It was love; pure untainted _love. _

_"Tu sei il sole_

_Mi fai brillare_

_O più come le stelle_

_Che brillano di notte_

_Tu sei la luna_

_Che brilla nel mio cuore_

_Tu sei il mio giorno, la mia notte_

_Il mio mondo_

_Tu sei la mia vita" _

In three months, Antonio has been many things. A fucker, a bastard, a demon, a worker, an evil demonic bastard, more bastards, and finally, _a lover. _In three months, Antonio had kissed the most brilliant person on Earth. Antonio had kissed, and kissed, and kissed. In three months, Antonio had never felt so much joy in his heart; in three months, Antonio had found peace.

The Spaniard ended his strumming, laughter taking over his words and stray tears falling. The crowd cheered on the performer and carelessly threw hundreds of euros in his guitar case. After a majority of them had left, Antonio grouped up his things and made his way over to his favorite concession stand. A stand that held a strange Italian and a rather mad looking one.

"Aw, _mi amor, _what's the matter?" The Italian growled when Antonio touched his shoulder.

"Some nasty women came over here talking about you! They even said that they would have freaky sex with you if they could! What the fuck you bastard? Are you fucking some sideline sluts? Because I would so kick your tomato eating ass if you are!" The more Lovino talked, the more his face reddened. Lovino's hands clenched into fists and his eyes began watering. He was _not _going to stand for Antonio breaking his heart, he was _not _going to cry in front of him either.

"Lovi, I'm sorry," Antonio, in a confused/bubbly state, pulled the Italian into a tight hug. "I wouldn't cheat on you, especially not with those women. It's okay." Lovino tried to push the Spaniard off of him but instead his face was cupped and tilted up towards said man. "I love you, alright?"

"Humph." Antonio chuckled at the response before bringing their faces together in a soft kiss. The kiss led to a much deeper one, and Antonio had to cut it off before they did some very inappropriate things in front of Lovino's brother.

"Just don't fuck around with me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I love you, my tiny little Lovi." Antonio pinched Lovino's cheeks with one hand.

"I...love you too..." Lovino's face turned about 50 shades of red before landing on Antonio's favorite. Tomato red.

_And to think that this all began with some damaged goods. _

* * *

**A/N: **It. Is. Finished. ^w^

Thank you for reading this ridiculously long story! I sincerely appreciate it~ Now, lets get down to business... Review/Favorite/Whateve! Any way that you want to show your love is all too sweet for me. But lucky ol' me loves the sugar!

Next one-shot will be UsUk! Go ahead and wait for it~ Thanks again oFTo


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